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THE ADVENTURES OP PINOCCHIO 

A MARIONETTE 

ARRANGED FROM THE ITALIAN OF C. COLLODI 


AS A DRAMATIC READER 

BY 

EMILY GRAY 

PROVIDENCE, R. I. 


CHICAGO 

A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 



o 


Copyright, 1911 , 

BY 

A. FLANAGAN COMPANY. 



% 0,30 

CCIA305136 

'I'VT.t. 


ADVENTURES OF PINOCCHIO 


SCENE I 

This scene requires only a carpenter’s attire; a table 
upon which to plane; a large roll of cardboard—four or five 
feet long; an axe and a plane. 

[Enter carpenter; hangs up hat; rolls up sleeves 
and prepares to work upon the cardboard roll.] 

Carpenter. Well, I must make that table leg 
to-day. This wood [Takes roll from corner of shop ] 
is just the thing. It is about right for length, and 
it will take the plane [Examines log carefully] 
nicely, I judge. [Lays log on table.] Ugh! It is 
heavier than I thought. [Takesplane.] I wonder 
if I need to sharpen this plane? No; I think it 
will do for this soft wood. [Moves plane over the 
log.] 

Pinocchio. [The spirit inside the log yells. Per¬ 
sonated by some one behind a screen.] Ow! ow! 

Carpenter. [Stops planing; stares at the log; 

5 


looks around the room.] What an old donkey I 
am, to be sure! I thought I heard a voice in the 
wood. [Continues planing.] 

Pinocchio. Ow! Wow! Wow! You tickle my 
back! 

Carpenter. [Jumps back; drops plane; expresses 
greater terror than before.] Good gracious! [In 
a loud whisper.] There is a voice in the room. 
[Looks under table; inside his own hat, etc., etc. 
Comes back to the table.] What nonsense! I only 
thought I heard a voice. Ha, ha! Haw, haw! 
Tickles your back, does it? I’ll tickle your back 
again. [Seizes plane and planes vigorously.] 

Pinocchio. Stop, stop, I say. Didn’t I tell you 
to stop? You tickle my back, I say. 

[ With a cry the carpenter drops plane and falls on the 
floor, stricken with terror. The log which is fastened to a 
string—which passes over a rod overhead and is manipu¬ 
lated from behind the stage—stands erect on the table and 
laughs heartily; drops upon the table again; rises again and 
roars with laughter. The carpenter meantime pulls him¬ 
self into a sitting position, gasping and staring around. ] 

[Enter Geppetto ( softly ) wearing a bushy, yellow 
wig.] 

Geppetto. Good morning, Master Cherry! But 
what, pray, are you doing on the floor? 

6 



WITH A CRY THE CARPENTER FELL ON THE FLOOR 

Carpenter. [Surly.] Why am I on the floor? 
I am teaching the ants to say their a, b, c’s. [Rises 
stiffly and rubs his head.] 

Geppetto. Ho, ho, ho! And do you find them 
apt to learn? 

Carpenter. What is that to you, yellow wig? 
But, tell me; what brings you here to my shop? 

Geppetto. My two legs bring me, of course; 
and right good servants are they. But they 
brought me here to ask a favor of you, Master 
Cherry. 


7 




















Carpenter. [.During this conversation the car¬ 
penter often boks stealthily at the log and around 
the room.] And what is the favor, Master Gep- 
petto? 

Geppetb. Let me explain. Last night I had a 
dream. In my dream I carved a marionette from 
a piece of log. When the marionette was finished 
he could walk and dance; so I fastened him with a 
string and I traveled up and down the country 
road exhibiting him. With such a marionette as 
that, I could earn my living and lay aside money 
for old age. 

Carpenter. What a fine plan that would be. 

Geppetb. Just what I think. And that is why 
I have come to ask you to give me a piece of log¬ 
wood; not too hard, but just right for carving. 

Carpenter. Certainly, good friend. Here is 
just the thing. I was just beginning to plane it, 
but decided that I would make the table leg of 
some other kind of wood. [ Carpenter lifts log 
from the bble with no little difficulty because of its 
antics produced by pulling at the string from be¬ 
hind the sbge.] Here it is. Take it. You are 
welcome to it. It is the most remarkable piece of 
wood I ever heard. 

Geppetb. Ever heard? [In surprise.] 

8 



Carpenter. Ever saw, yellow wig. [Passes wood 
to Geppetto .] 

Geppetto. Ow, ow! Stop hitting my shins with 
it, old cherry stone! 

Carpenter. I didn’t hit you. 

Geppetto. You did; there! You hit me again. 
Ow! 

Pinocchio. Wow-wow! 

Hoo-hoo! 

Hoo-hoo! 


9 



Geppetto. What is that I hear? 

Carpenter. Go home, old yellow wig. Take the 
wood and along with you, for I must get to work. 

Geppetto. Thank you, thank you, Master Cherry. 
I, too, must get to work. [Carries log away, drop¬ 
ping it two or three times before reaching the door.] 
My! but this log is heavy. It is slippery, too. See 
how it wriggles out of my arms. 

Carpenter. Nonsense, Geppetto. As if a piece 
of wood could wriggle. Here; give me one end of 
it. I will help you carry the log home. [Exit Gep¬ 
petto and the carpenter, carrying the log.] 

Curtain falls. 


SCENE II. 

[Geppetto’s bare little room. He sits in a chair; the roll, 
which he is now carving, stands before him. The child, who 
is to personify Pinocchio, stands inside the roll. Geppetto cuts 
away the cardboard little by little—thus pretending to carve 
—first revealing top of head, face, shoulders and arms. The 
child inside is already dressed for his part: A clown mask 
with a long nose; a cap with tassel; stiff, sprawling wooden 
hands, held by the child’s real hands and projecting from 
coat sleeves; long, wooden pointed shoes. (See illustration.) 
Throughout the play, Pinocchio must carry himself stiffly, 
remembering that he is “wooden.”] 

10 



DID YOU EVER SEE SUCH A TONGUE ! 


Geppetto. There! The wood is beginning to look 
quite like a marionette. The top of the head is 
just the right shape. [ Keeps taking off" bits of card¬ 
board; turning his head critically at each move as 
he views his work; talks meantime, thus:] Yes, this 
will be a fine—yes—a fine marionette. Many a 
long tramp we will take. 

Pinocchio. I won’t; I won’t! 

Geppetto. [«Jumping up.] What is that? [Looks 
around.] How silly I am! I thought I heard a 
voice. [ Goes to work again.] Some fine day— 
11 




























PINOCCHIO PULLED THE WIG FROM HIS HEAD 


[Pushes back chair and screarns. ] Stop! stop! 
the eyes of my marionette are winking at me! 
[Screams.'] Stop! stop! There, there; what an 
old fool I am. As if wooden eyes could wink. 
[Goes to work again breaking away the paper.] 
Now I will make the nose. There; that is a beauti¬ 
ful nose. [Head of child is now quite visible. Pin- 
occhio begins to turn head to the right and left, 
showing long nose and broad mouth.] 0 , my soul, 
my soul, what a nose! It grows longer and longer. 
I will cut it off. [Cuts.] Mercy! mercy! It grows 
12 




longer still. [Marionette sticks out his tongue.] 
Horrors; horrors! Did I ever see such a tongue! 
Stop wagging your tongue at me! Stop, I say! 
[Marionette becomes quiet."] Now I will go to work 
again. [Continues work, talking to himself, until 
Pinocchio’s shoulders are free. Suddenly Pinocchio 
stretches forth the stiff, wooden hands, seizes the 
bushy, yellow wig from Geppetto’s head; jumps out 
of the roll and runs stiffly around the stage, clat¬ 
tering his feet and gibbering and making faces. 
Geppetto beats his breast; rocks back and forth in 
his chair and wails. To the child audience this is 
a most delightful crisis, and the actors must be on 
the alert to keep up their “antics” if the curtain 
rises for an encore.] 

Curtain falls. 


SCENE III 

[Same room. Pinocchio rushes in; sits down and laughs 
loudly, bending forward and backward in great glee.] 

Cricket on the Wall. Stop your laughing, you 
foolish Pinocchio! You wooden-headed know- 
nothing! 

Pinocchio. [Jumping up and looking around.] 

13 


Who spoke? Who is in the room? Who are you? 
Get out of my room. 

Cricket. Your room, indeed, wooden-head. I 
would have you know I am a Cricket; and I have 
lived in these walls for a hundred years. Your 
room, indeed! You, who have been here only a 
day! 

Pinocchio. [Looking up at the wall.] 0, I see 
you! So you live in my wall, do you? And you 
know me, do you? Well, tell me, did you see 
Geppetto chasing me down the street? Ho, ho, ho! 

Cricket. I saw you — you mean, ungrateful 
little puppet. I saw you running away from poor 
old Geppetto. I saw the police after you. I saw 
them catch poor, lame Geppetto and carry him off 
to prison. And you—you mean cowardly mario¬ 
nette-let them take him to prison; you never ex¬ 
plained one word to them; and so poor Geppetto is 
in prison, while you are safe and sound here in 
Geppetto’s home. 

Pinocchio. Hold your tongue, you disagreeable 
Cricket. I shall do as I please. 

Cricket. Let me give you some advice before I 
leave you. 

Pinocchio. What is advice? Give it, whatever 
it is, and go away. 


14 



PINOCCHIO THREW HIS HAMMER AT THE CRICKET 


Cricket. This is a very new world to you, Pin- 
occhio. There are many many things that you 
do not know. Therefore, obey your father; for he 
knows what is best for you. Boys who disobey 
and run away from home always come to harm. 

Pinocchio. 0, you stupid old croaker! I shall 
run away whenever I please. I shall run away to¬ 
morrow; for if I remain here, I shall be sent to 
school; I shall be made to study and learn; and I 
don’t wish to study and learn. 

Cricket. Very well, silly. Do as you please, 
15 











but I forewarn you that if you grow up learning 
nothing, you will end in being a donkey. 

Pinocchio. [Seizing a hammer .] Keep still, I 
say, or I will hit you! 

Cricket. [Unmoved by threat .] If you don’t 
wish to go to school, you might at least learn a 
trade. You could earn your iiving, if you had a 
trade and— 

Pinocchio. [Raising hammer .] Didn’t I tell 
you to keep still? I like the trade I have—the 
trade vagabond— and if you say another word I 
will hit you. 

Cricket. Very well, you wooden-headed, ignor¬ 
ant, conceited Know-It-All. I foresee what your 
end will be. 

Pinocchio. [Dancing with rage.] 0, you hate¬ 
ful old croaker! You talkative old Kill-joy. I’ll 
kill you! [Throws hammer at the wall.] I’ll kill 
you! There! You’ll give me no more advice; I’ll 
take advice from no one. [Sits down in chair; 
knees stiff. Hangs wooden hands down at sides.] 
Dear me, I have a strange feeling inside me; I 
wonder what it is? 0, how uncomfortable it is. 
It grows worse and worse. It seems to me some 
bread would take away the feeling. Or if I had a 
bone to gnaw; or some milk to drink. I saw some 
16 


PINOCCHIO BROKE THE SHELL AND ATE THE EGG 


boys eating bread and meat and drinking milk 
when I was running away from Geppetto. I am 
sure bread and milk and meat are what I need. I 
will find some. [ Goes to closet and peers into every 
corner.'] No; there isn’t anything in the closet. 
0, dear IWhat shall I do? This pain is very, very 
hard to bear. But here is an egg. I will break the 
shell and eat it. [ Breaks shell; out flies a bird 

fastened to a string which passes over a rod above.] 
Bird. Thank you, wooden-head. You have 
saved me the trouble of breaking my shell. Good- 
17 
















bye! Some day you will learn something. Some 
day you will have a little sense! 

Pinocchio. Well, well! Wasn't that strange! 
I shall always know after this that if I break an 
egg shell a bird will fly up into the air. But; 0, 
dear! this strange hungry feeling inside me. If 
Geppetto were here he would get me something to 
eat. Boo-hoo-hoo! I wish I hadn’t run away! I 
wish Geppetto were here. 0, 0! I believe the 
old Cricket was right. I wish I hadn’t killed the 
Cricket. I would ask him to give me some advice 
about this pain. 

0 dear, dear! Born only one day; and I have 
learned that it is not wise for little boys to disobey 
their parents; also that boys should value the ad¬ 
vice of older people. [Sits down dejectedly, sobbing 
and moaning.'] 

Curtain falls. 


SCENE IV 

[Pinocchio asleep in the chair. Geppetto enters. ] 
Pinocchio. [Jumping up from his chair but fall¬ 
ing upon the floor.] 0, good Geppetto, good Gep¬ 
petto. How glad I am to see you again! I am so 
hungry, Geppetto; and— 

18 



HIS FEET BUKNED OFF WHILE HE SLEPT 


Geppetto. Get up from the floor, you miserable 
little wooden puppet. I wish I had never carved 
your wicked little head. You have cost me a night 
in prison and everybody is laughing at me for my 
sad fate. Get up, stupid, get up! 

Pinocchio . I can’t get up, dear Geppetto. Some¬ 
thing has happened to my feet. 

Geppetto. Something happened to your feet? 
Let me see them. [Looks at them.] Why you 
wooden know-nothing, you have burned them off. 

19 


You have had them in the fire. Now when, you 
miserable toy, did you do that? 

Pinocchio. How did I know fire would bum? 
My feet felt cold and I put them on the coals last 
night when I went to sleep. 

Geppetto. Stupid! A pity your whole wooden 
body, wooden head and all hadn’t burned. Now I 
shall have to make you a new pair of feet. 

Pinocchio. 0, Geppetto; if you knew what an 
awful pain I have. I feel as hollow as a basket. 

Geppetto. Well, here are three pears. I bought 
them for my breakfast, but you may have them. 
[Gives them to Pinocchio. ] 

Pinocchio. [Devouring them rapidly but throw¬ 
ing the cores on the floor.] 0 , but these taste good. 
Already the pain is going away. 

Geppetto. Here, here! Don’t throw away the 
cores. You may need them yet. You are throw¬ 
ing away half your fruit. 

Pinocchio. I won’t eat cores. Take them your¬ 
self. I won’t eat them. There, I have eaten all 
three of the pears. Still, I am hungry. The pain 
is there still. Give me some more pears, dear 
Geppetto. 

Geppetto. Don’t “dear Geppetto” me, you idle 


20 



PINOCCHIO ATE THE PEARS AND THREW THE CORES ON 
THE FLOOR 

good-for-nothing. Go eat your cores; they are as 
good as another pear. 

Pinocchio. [Picks up cores and eats them.] To 
think that I should have to eat cores. But they 
taste pretty good, after all. Indeed they do. There 
now, the pain is all gone. I feel fine again; as fine 
as I did yesterday. 

Geppetto. Come now and have your new feet 
fastened on. [Fastens the feet on, scolding Pin- 


21 

























occhio while he fastens them.] There! Now stand 
up. Let me see if they are all right. 

Pinocchio. [Walking off.] Yes, they are all 
right. Now I am as good as new. And I have 
learned two more things: I have learned that fire 
will bum wooden boys and that cores should not be 
wasted. 

Curtain falls . 


SCENE V 

Pinocchio. Now, dear Geppetto, since I have 
grown so wise I am willing to believe that, if you 
say so, I ought to go to school. And I will go, 
dear Geppetto, this very morning. 

Geppetto. Dear, dear Pinocchio. You are, in¬ 
deed, growing wise. You will be a comfort to me 
in my old age. [Geppetto and Pinocchio embrace 
and weep for joy in each other’s arms.] 

Pinocchio. I suppose I shall need to have some 
clothes if I go to school; clothes such as other boys 
wear. 

Geppetto. Yes, dear little Pinocchio. I have 
already made you some. Here is a cap made of 
bread crumbs. [Removes tasseled cap and puts on 
new one.] Here is a coat made of paper [Puts on 
22 



THEY EMBRACED AND WEPT FOR JOY 


coat] and here are shoes made from the bark of the 
log that I carved you from. 

Pinocchio. [Twisting and turning and admir¬ 
ing himself.] Now I look like a real boy. Indeed, 
I look like a real gentleman. 

Geppetto. Keep your clothes nice and clean; for 
remember a gentleman not only has clothes, but he 
keeps them clean. 

Pinocchio. One thing more I need. 

Geppetto. And what is that, pray? 

23 
































Pinocchio. I noticed yesterday that each boy 
carried a spelling book to school. 

Geppetto. Yes, yes, to be sure, I will go out and 
buy one for you. Sit there while I am gone and 
don’t get into any mischief. [Exit.'] 

Pinocchio. [Speaking to himself.'] 0, yes; dear 
Geppetto. I shall never get into mischief again. 

I have grown wise now. Let me see. [Counts 
on his fingers.] I have learned: 

One, to obey my father. 

Two, not to run away. 

Three, to listen to advice. 

Four, that fire will bum. 

Five, that one should not be wasteful. 

[Re-enter Geppetto, hut without coat.] 

Geppetto. I hurried lest you should be late for 
school. Here is your spelling book. 

Pinocchio. 0, thank you, thank you, Geppetto. 
But what have you done with your coat? 

Geppetto. 0, it was too hot. I left it outside. 

Pinocchio. 0, Geppetto! Too hot! Why it is 
snowing this minute! I know what you have done 
with your coat. You have sold it to buy this book 
for me. 0, Geppetto, Geppetto! How kind you 
are to me! I will never, never disobey you again. 


24 


And when you are old I will work for you. You 
shall have a new coat every day. 

[Geppetto and Pinocchio weep in each other 9 s arms.] 

Curtain falls. 


SCENE VI 

[Enter Pinocchio, spelling book in hand, on his way to 
school. ] 

Pinocchio. [Stops and listens.] What do I 
hear? [Music.] It is a pleasant sound. I will go 
and find it. [Starte.] But, no; I am a good boy 
now, I obey; and I am on my way to school. [Stops 
and listens again.] 

[Enter a boy.] 

Pinocchio. What is this that I hear? 

Boy. It is music, you stupid. There is a circus 
over there. [Points.] Going? 

Pinocchio. 0, I never went to a circus in all my 
life! I would love to go. Tell me, what are those 
words over the door? What do they say? 

Boy. Look at them and find out for yourself. 
Can’t you read, wooden pate? 

Pinocchio. Of course I can; but it so happens 
that I can’t read to-day. 

Boy. Blockhead! Listen, and I will read for 
25 


“THERE IS A CIRCUS OVER THERE” 


you. Greatest Circus on Earth. Great Exhibition 
of Talking Puppets and Marionettes. 

Pinocchio. 0, how fine! And how I long to 
go! I had intended to go to school to-day; but I 
am sure I can learn to read and write and spell 
to-morrow just as well. I think I will go to the 
circus. 

Boy. It will cost you ten pennies. 

Pinocchio. 0 dear, dear. And I haven’t a 
penny to my name. Will you buy my hat and 
give me ten pennies for it? 

26 




























Boy. Your old bread crumb hat! Why, the 
birds would eat it up? 

Pinocchio. Perhaps you will buy my shoes? 

Boy. They are good for nothing except to light 
the fire. 

Pinocchio. My jacket, then? 

Boy. Your paper jacket? Bah! It would fall 
off my back with the first rain that fell upon it. 

Pinocchio. [Looking regretfully at spelling 
book.] 

I have nothing else to offer except—except— 
this. [Offers book.] Will you—take— 

Boy. No, I don’t want your spelling book. I 
have one of my own, thank you. 

[Enter Vender.] 

Vender. I will buy your book, my lad. What 
do you ask for it? 

Pinocchio. The price of admission to the circus 
—ten pennies. 

Vender. Very well, lad. Here are your ten 
pennies. 

[They exchange pennies and book. Pinocchio looks 
at the book regretfully, yet moves slowly towards 
the circus, still looking back at the book.] 

~ Pinocchio. I ought not to have sold the book. 

27 


To think that I should sell it when poor Geppetto 
sold his coat to buy it for me. [ Music starts up.] 

0, there’s the music! Away, away to the circus! 
I never saw a circus! I wonder what it will be 
like. [ Pinocchio , boy and vender leave the stage.] 
[Curtain falls. ] 

SCENE VII 

[Pinocchio comes gaily in from one side of the stage; is 
met by a Fox who pretends to be lame and a Cat who pre¬ 
tends to be blind; these walk in arm in arm. ] 

Fox. Good morning, Pinocchio. 

Pinocchio. Good morning, Fox; but how did 
you know my name? 

Fox. 0, I know your father well. Only yester¬ 
day I saw him. 

Pinocchio. Saw my poor, dear father! Tell me, 
where was he and what was he doing? 

Fox. He stood in his doorway, in his shirt 
sleeves, shivering with the cold. 

Pinocchio. 0, my poor, poor father! Shivering 
in the cold! And it is all my fault. 

Fox. All your fault? What do you mean? 

Pinocchio. It was like this: My dear father 
wished me to go school. So he went out and sold 
his coat to get money for a spelling book. 

28 



“GOOD MOENING, FOX" 


Fox. And did you go to school? 

Pinocchio. [Hanging his head,.] No—o—o; I sold 
the book for a circus ticket and went to the circus 
instead of the school. 0, I was a bad boy! To 
think of my poor father shivering with the cold. 
However, he shall not sorrow long. He shall never 
be poor again. 

Fox. Indeed, how are you going to help him? 
A wooden head like you! 

Pinocchio. Indeed, I am going to help him. 
29 


Listen, and you will understand. When I entered 
the circus, what do you think happened? The 
circus owner took me prisoner. He was going to 
make me stay with him and perform on the 
stage. 

Fox. A good place for you; served you right. 

Pinocchio. Wait until I have finished. I told the 
circus owner all about poor Geppetto and begged 
him to let me go back and work for him until I 
could buy back the coat. Then the circus owner took 
pity on Geppetto and gave me five gold pieces to 
take to him. The gold pieces will take care of 
Geppetto as long as he lives. 

Fox. A likely story! You carrying gold pieces 
to Geppetto! I don’t believe you. 

Pinocchio. Don’t believe me! See, here they 
are, right here in my pocket. [ Shows money.] 

Fox. Yes, that does look like gold; but tell me 
what you intend to do with it? 

Pinocchio. I told you. I am taking it to Gep¬ 
petto. It will keep him from want as long as he 
lives. 

Fox. What; those few pieces? Why, they will 
not keep him a year. 

Pinocchio. The circus man told me they 
would. 


30 


Fox. He was fooling you. He knew you were a 
wooden-headed little know-nothing; and it amused 
him to fool you. Now don’t be such a silly. Listen 
to us. 

Cat. Yes, yes; listen to us. 

Fox. We know of a place near by, where, if you 
should plant your gold, it will grow up double. 

Cat. Yes, yes; it will grow up double. 

Pinocchio. 0, tell me! Where is it? Will you 
take me there? 

Fox. Yes, we will take you there. 

Cat. Yes, we will take you there. 

Pinocchio. Let us go at once. I can hardly wait; 
but how long must the gold remain under the 
ground? 

Fox. Only over night. It will double after mid¬ 
night; then you pick it like berries in the morning. 

Pinocchio. Let us go at once. 

Fox. Very well, run ahead. We will show you 
the way. [Pinocchio dances away.] Did you ever 
see such a silly fool, Cat? 

Cat. Never, dear Fox; but let us hurry or he may 
escape us yet. [Cat and Fox shuffle off stage.] 
[Curtain falls.] 


31 


SCENE VIII 


[Enter Pinocchio, Cat and Fox.] 

Fox. Here we are at the inn. And only a little 
way from the magic gold garden. Let us go to the 
inn and rest. 

Pinocchio. Yes; but let us plant my gold first. 
Shall I plant it all at once and in one place? 

Fox. Yes; plant it all in one place. But not yet. 
Did I not tell you that you must wait until after 
midnight? Let us first have our suppers and go 
to bed. 

Pinocchio. Let me sit here by the fire. I am not 
a bit sleepy. 

Fox. You must go to sleep. Going to sleep, 
wooden head, is what makes night. How would 
you know there had been a night if you did not 
wake in the morning? And how could you wake if 
you had not been asleep? So go into the inn and go 
to sleep. We will start early in the morning and 
reach the magic garden in a few hours. 

Pinocchio. How wise you are, dear Fox. 

Fox. Yes, Pinocchio, I am very wise. 

Cat. Yes, the Fox is very wise. 

Fox. Now run along into the inn and go to bed. 
Get to sleep at once. We are very early risers and 
32 


will call you at daybreak. Then we will travel to 
the gold garden and then to poor old Geppetto. 

Pinocchio. How glad he will be to see us! He 
will invite you both to dinner and you shall rest in 
our house. 

Fox. You are a very kind little boy. I will never 
call you wooden head again. Now off to bed! I am 
so lame I shall have to rest here a little while, and 
then walk slowly to bed. 

Pinocchio. I will do as you say, kind friends. 
Good night. [Exit Pinocchio.] 

Fox. [Watching Pinocchio enter the inn.] There, 
he has gone. The innkeeper will see that he does 
not get out until we are away. I promised him a 
gold piece if he would keep him until we are well 
on our journey. Now, my plan is this: When Pin¬ 
occhio awakes and finds us gone, he will start at 
once for home. On his way he will have to pass 
through a deep forest a few miles beyond here. 
There, in the forest, we will wait for him. When 
he comes along, we will pitch upon him and rob 
him of his gold. 

Cat. Yes, we will pitch upon him and rob him 
of his gold. 

Fox. We could have robbed him here; but I 
feared that someone might see us and take his part. 

33 



“THEBE! HE HAS GONE TO BED” 


Cat. Yes, someone might have seen us and have 
taken his part. 

[Curtain falls.] 


SCENE IX 
[Behind the scenes.] 

Innkeeper. Knock! knock! knock! Awake, 
Pinocchio! It is time to wake! 

[Enter Pinocchio .] 

Pinocchio. Here I am, awake and ready for 
breakfast! But where are my friends? 

34 
























[Enter Innkeeper. ] 

Innkeeper. 0, they went at midnight. 

Pinocchio. What! Went without me? 

Innkeeper. They told me to tell you that, on 
account of the Fox’s lameness, they thought it 
wise to start ahead, and that you with your long 
legs could easily overtake them by nightfall. You 
have but to keep to the straight road. You cannot 
get lost. 

[With long leaps Pinocchio leaves the stage.] 

Innkeeper. The wooden-headed fool! The Fox 
and the Cat will make short work of him. But let 
him learn by bitter experience; it is the only way 
that fools will learn. [Exit Innkeeper.] 

[Stage darkens. Pinocchio appears, traveling 
rapidly.] 

Cricket. [Voice from overhead.] Who goes 
there? Who goes there? 

Pinocchio. [Looking up.] Who are you? 

Cricket. I am the ghost of the Talking Cricket 
—the cricket that you killed. 

Pinocchio. Well; what have you to say now? 

Cricket. I wish to give you some good advice. 
Take your gold and go at once to your poor father. 
He needs the gold and he weeps for you every day. 

35 





“WHO GOES THESE? WHO ARE YOU?” 


Pinocchio. I have heard your advice before; 
it shows how little you know; for I am going to 
plant this gold, and in a night it will increase 
ten—a hundred—a thousand fold. 

Cricket Silly, silly boy! Don’t ever believe in 
get-rich-quick plans. You may be sure that the 
people who make great promises are either them¬ 
selves deceived, or they are cheats. Take my ad¬ 
vice; go home. 

Pinocchio. You stupid Cricket, I will not go 
home. 


36 








Cricket. It is getting very late at night. 

Pinocchio. I am going on. 

Cricket. The night is very dark. 

Pinocchio. I am going on, 1 say. 

Cricket. There are thieves in the woods. 

Pinocchio. I am going on, I say. 

Cricket. Very well, stupid boy. Go on and 
have your own way; but believe me, sooner or 
later you will repent. 

Pinocchio. The same old croaking! You never 
want me to do anything I want to. 

Cricket. Good-bye, then, Pinocchio. May 
Heaven preserve you from thieves. 

[,Stage suddenly becomes very dark. ] 

Pinocchio. That Cricket makes me tired. It 
is an awful thing to be a boy. Everybody scolds 
us; everybody gives us advice. Why, if a boy 
were to take all the advice he has offered him, he 
would never have a good time. I for one am go¬ 
ing to take no advice. I am going to do as I wish. 
But, Hark! What do I hear! [In a loud stage 
whisper; stage grows a little lighter. ] 

[Two black figures creep towards Pinocchio. ] 

Pinocchio. [Running. ] Can these be thieves? 

37 


Thieves. [Cat and Fox. ] Ah, now we have 
you. Yes, we have you. 

One Thief. [Fox. ] Your money or your life. 
Other Thief. [Cat. ] Yes; your money or your 
life. 

[They hold the struggling Pinocchio by both arms. ] 
Fox. Come, come, give us your money. 

Cat. Yes, yes, give us your money. 

Pinocchio. [Who has put his money in his 
mouth. ] I ha’ no mo’. [I have no money. ] 

Fox. 0, yes, you have; you have gold pieces. 
Cat. Yes, yes, you have; you have gold pieces. 
Fox. Give us your gold, or we will kill you. 

Cat. Yes, yes, we will kill you. 

Fox. Empty your pockets! 

Pimcchio. [Empties them. ] 

Fox. What have you done with your money? 
Tell me or you die. 

Pinocchio. [ Only shakes his head. ] 

Cat. He has it in his mouth! 

Fox. 0, that is your trick, is it? [Shakes Pin¬ 
occhio.] 

[Pinocchio struggles and escapes. The three 
chase each other back and forth, and finally Pin¬ 
occhio is overtaken.] 

Fox. Now we have you, you villain. 

38 



THEY HUNG PINOCCHIO 

Cat. And we will hang you. 

Fox. Give me the rope. There! Now we will 
hang you to the tree. [Fastens rope under arms.] 
Cat. I will climb the tree and pull him .up. 
[Cat climbs, and up goes Pinocchio, dangling and 
kicking. Fox and Cat leave stage.] 

Pinocchio. 0, 0, 0! If I had obeyed the 
Cricket. 0 what a fool I was. Never again will 
I disobey; and I will always take advice. [Screams 

and kicks.] . 

[Enter Blue Fairy.] 

39 














Fairy. Poor little Pinocchio! 0, foolish boy, 
to be sure! Still, I will save him. [Raises wand; 
daps hands.] Come, Fairies; come and help Pin¬ 
occhio down from the tree. [Enter three Fairies 
who are lifted by ropes to the level of Pinocchio. 
They surround him; sway a little; then all descend. 
The fairies run away leaving Pinocchio with the 
Blue Fairy. Blue Fairy lays him out; puts sup¬ 
port under his head; removes rope , etc. y at the same 
time saying words of sympathy — such as , Poor 
Pinocchio! Poor little foolish lad! Now I must 
call the doctor. Claps hands and three grotesque 
looking creatures ( doctors) in masks appear.] 

One Doctor. Well, dear Fairy, what do you 
wish? 

Fairy. I wish you to make this poor little lad 
well again. 

The Doctor. We shall do our best. 

First Doctor. [Pulls Pinocchio’s nose; wriggles 
his toe.] It is my belief that this boy—this puppet 
is quite dead; but if he isn’t dead, that would be 
a sign that he is alive. 

Second Doctor. I do not agree with my friend. 
I believe that this puppet is still alive; but if he 
isn’t alive that would be a sign that he is indeed 
dead. 


40 


Fairy. And what does our third doctor think? 

Third Doctor. [The Cricket .] I have been look¬ 
ing at this sick boy, and I find that I have seen 
him before. Indeed, I have known him for some 
time. He is a silly, stupid, good-for-nothing pup¬ 
pet. He disobeys everybody; he will take no 
advice. Indeed, he is a bad boy. 

[.Pinocchio begins to bellow.] 

First Doctor. When a dead puppet begins to 
cry it is a sign he is alive. 

Fairy. Is it worth while to save him? 

First Doctor. Perhaps he will be wiser after this. 

Second Doctor. Perhaps he will have learned to 
obey. 

Third Doctor. [To Fairy.] Very well; here is 
some medicine for him. I don’t think he is worth 
saving; but you may try if you wish. 

[Exit Doctors.] 

Fairy. Now be a good boy and take your medi¬ 
cine. [Offers him medicine.] 

Pinocchio. [Whining.] I don’t wish to take 
the old medicine. 

Fairy. Don’t you wish to get well? 

Pinocchio. [Still whining.] Is it sweet or is it 
bitter? 

Fairy. It is bitter; but it will make you well. 

41 


Pinocchio. [Still whining.] If it is bitter, I 
won’t take it. Boo-hoo! I won’t, I won’t! I’d 
rather die than take the medicine. 

Fairy. But you must. See, here is a lump of 
sugar. You shall have it after you take the medi¬ 
cine. 

Pinocchio. Let me see the sugar. 

Fairy. Here it is. 

Pinocchio. Let me eat the sugar first; then I 
will take th'e medicine. 

Fairy. You promise. 

Pinocchio. Yes, I promise. [Fairy gives Pinoc¬ 
chio the sugar; he eats it greedily. Fairy then 
offers him the medicine.] 

Pinocchio. No, no; I won’t take it! Boo-hoo! 

Fairy. But you promised. Do you not keep a 
promise? 

[Enter four, black-robed persons; heads covered. 
They approach Pinocchio and throw a black cover 
over him.] 

Pinocchio. Ow! Ow! Ow! Who are you? 

Black Robes. We heard you were going to die 
rather than take your good medicine; so we have 
come to take you. 

Pinocchio. [Shrieking and clinging to the Fairy. ] 
Save me, save me! I will take my medicine. 

42 


“OW! OW! WHO ABE YOU?” 


Fairy. 0, what a silly, silly boy! [Offers medi¬ 
cine; Pinocchio drinks it down.] There, now you 
are all well. 

Pinocchio. Yes, yes. I am all well. I feel as 
good as new. 

Fairy. 0, Pinocchio; how could you be so stub, 
bom and so silly? See how much good the medi¬ 
cine has done you, and still I had to coax you to 
take it. 

Pinocchio. We boys are all like that. 

43 








Fairy. But, tell me; how did it happen that 
you were hanging from that tree? 

Pinocchio. Well, it was like this: I was com¬ 
ing through the woods— 

Fairy. 0, begin at the beginning— 

Pinocchio. Well, I was stopping at an inn. 

Fairy. 0, but there must be something back of 
that, else how did you happen to be at the inn? 

Pinocchio. Well, I had just visited the circus. 

Fairy. But how did you get money to visit the 
circus? 

Pinocchio. [.Hanging his head.'] I—I sold my 
spelling book for the ten pennies which was the 
entrance fee. 

Fairy. Now, Pinocchio, begin at the very 
beginning; there must have been something back 
of the spelling book, else how did you happen to 
have one? 

Pinocchio. My father bought it for me. 

Fairy. Where did he get the money? 

Pinocchio. [Hanging his head and hesitating.] 
He-he- 

Fairy. Well, well; hurry. Tell me where he 
got the money. 

Pinocchio. [Still stumbling.] He sold his coat 
to get money to buy my spelling book. 

44 


Fairy. There! Now you are beginning to tell 
the whole story. Go on. 

Pinocchio. I took the spelling book and started 
for school. On the way to school I saw a circus. 
So I—I—I— 

Fairy. So you what? 

Pinocchio. So I sold my spelling book in order 
to get money to enter the circus. 

Fairy. What! The book that your poor father 
sold his coat off his back to buy for you? You 
little wretch! Have you no sense of gratitude? 

Pinocchio. Pray don’t interrupt me. 

Fairy. Very well; go on. 

Pinocchio. When I entered the circus, the ring 
master seized me and said he would train me for 
the stage. 

Fairy. A very good place for such a boy as 
you, I should say. But go on. 

Pinocchio. But when I told him how poor my 
father is, and how he needs me at home— 

Fairy. Needs you at home! Pinocchio, you 
make me smile. 

Pinocchio. [Looking very shame-faced, .] When 
I told him, he gave me five gold dollars and sent 
me home. 

Fairy. Did you go home? 

45 


Pinocchio. I was going home— 

Fairy. [Severely.'] But did you go home? 

Pinocchio. Well, you see, I met a Cat and a 
Fox; and they told me that if I would plant my 
gold it would increase a hundred fold. 

Fairy. And you believed such nonsense as 
that! But go on. 

Pinocchio. I was hurrying through the woods 
to the place they told me when I was attacked by 
two thieves. 

Fairy. How dreadful! But did no one warn you? 

Pinocchio. No. 

Fairy. What? 

Pinocchio. [Hurriedly.] Yes, yes. 

Fairy. Who warned you? 

Pinocchio. The Talking Cricket. 

Fairy. And who is the Talking Cricket? How 
did you know him? 

Pinocchio. He used to live in my house. 

Fairy. Used to? Does he not now? 

Pinocchio. N—n—no. 

Fairy. Why not? I never knew a cricket to 
change his residence. 

Pinocchio. I—I—I killed him. 

Fairy. And why, pray, did you kill an innocent 
Cricket? 


46 


Pinocchio. I didn’t like what he said. 

Fairy. What did he say? 

Pinocchio. He—he—gave me advice. 

Fairy. Well, did his advice prove true? 

Pinocchio. Yes, it did. 

Fairy. And yet you would not listen to his ad¬ 
vice a second time. Pinocchio, you are certainly 
the most wooden-headed boy I ever knew. But go 
on with your story. 

Pinocchio. The thieves began to fight me, but 
I escaped and ran. They followed and at last 
overtook me and hung me to the tree. 

Fairy. But why did they hang you? 

Pinocchio. Because I wouldn’t give up the gold. 
I was determined to save it for my father. 

Fairy. Now, at last, you begin to show a little 
sense. But where is the gold now? 

Pinocchio. I lost it. 

Fairy. [Slips a white paper cone upon Pinoc¬ 
chio’s already long nose, thus lengthening it.] You 
lost it? 

Pinocchio. Yes, I lost it. 

Fairy. [Slips another white cone.] Pinocchio, 
you are lying to me. Isn’t it enough to be wooden¬ 
headed without being a liar? 

Pinocchio. How do you know that I lie? 

47 



LOOK - HE GLASS ANT) SEE YOUR NOSE 


Fairy. [Slipping on another cone. Ice cream 
cones come in nicely here; and by putting a little 
mucilage on the inner surface they stick firmly.'] 
How do I know ? Look in the glass and see your 
nose. [Pinocchio looks.] There are two kinds of 
lies; one kind has long legs; your kind has a long 
nose. 

Pinocchio. 0, 0, 0! Ow! ow! ow! wow! 
[Dances about frantically. Fairy laughs loudly 
and points at Pinocchio’s nose.] 

Fairy. [Laughing.] 0, Pinocchio! You were 

48 





no beauty before; but look at yourself now! Ho, 
ho, ho! 

Pinocchio. 0 , good Fairy; help me, help me! 
[Pinocchio dances up and down yelling for help.] 

Fairy. [.Laughing yet.] 0 , it is too, too funny! 
But, Pinocchio; I can stop your nose from growing 
when you are ready to tell the truth. [Laughs 
still.] 

Pinocchio. I will tell the truth now—at once. 
I have the gold in my pocket. Hoaest‘and true! 

Fairy. Black and blue? 

Pinocchio. Yes, honest and true, black and 
blue. / -c* 

Fairy. Very well, I will give nyem back your 
own nose. Watch, then, my magic wand. [Strikes 
off the cones.] 

Pinocchio. 0 , thank you, thank you, good 
fairy. 

Fairy. Now, put on your cap. You silly, silly 
boy, and set out at once for your father’s home. 
Listen to no more bad advice and stop and talk 
with no one on the road. 

Pinocchio. Indeed, indeed, my dear, dear Fairy, 
I will obey. I will run every step of the way to 
my father. Good-bye fairy, good-bye. [Exit 
Pinocchio.] 


49 


Fairy. Poor, little, ignorant wooden-head! I 
wonder what next he will get into. 

Curtain falls. 

SCENE X 

[Pinocchio hurrying across the stage meets the Fox and 
the Cat dressed as they were on the first occasion. ] 

Fox. Well, good friend, we thought we had lost 
you. We are glad to see you again; for we are 
but a short distance from the field where you are 
to plant your gold. 

Pinocchio. But I have decided not to plant it. 
I shall carry it home just as it is. 

Fox. Do you mean to say that you are going to 
be such a fool and lose such an opportunity? 

Pinocchio. Some other day I will plant it; but 
to-day I wish to hurry to my father and show the 
gold to him. 

Fox. But there will be no other day. To-mor¬ 
row a rich man buys the field and will keep it 
henceforth for his own planting only. 

Pinocchio. But where is the field? 

Fox. Right here—only a few steps. Plant your 
gold beneath the tree beside you. 

Pinocchio. It can do no harm even though it do 
no good. 


50 


Fox. Of course not. 

Cat. But what an ungrateful little wretch you 
are! Here are we trying to help you, and you— 
you act as if you hardly trust us. 

Pinocchio. 0 , no, no, dear Cat and dear Fox. 
Of course I believe you mean well; but it may be, 
you know, that you are mistaken. 

Fox. Very well; it is nothing to us. Do as you 
wish; but we are too busy to stand here arguing 
with you. Are you going to plant your gold or 
shall we go? 

Pinocchio. Yes, I will plant it. 

Fox. Very well; dig a little hole and bury it 
right here. [Pinocchio digs.] There, that will do. 
Now run away for fifteen minutes; we will watch 
the gold and have a great surprise all ready for you. 

Pinocchio. [Running off the stage.] Very well, 

I will go. Call me as soon as the sprouts begin to 
appear. 

Cat. Don’t be silly; the whole tree will have 
grown in fifteen or twenty minutes. 

Fox. Go, Cat, and see if the wooden-headed 
silly is out of sight. [Cat peers out from the 
stage.] 

Cat. Yes, there he goes. There! Now he is 
out of sight. 


51 


Fox. Come, then; let us hurry. [Cat and Fox 
dig up the gold and put it in their pockets.] Have 
we got every piece? 

Cat. Yes, every piece. Come; let us run. 

Fox. Yes, this way. Come, come! 

[Exit Fox and Cat. Enter Pinocchio .] 

Pinocchio. Surely the twenty minutes are more 
than past. Why did you not call me? Did you 
not promise? [Discovers that Cat and Fox are 
gone.] Halloo! Where are you, Cat? Where are 
you, Fox? [No answer.] Where can they be? 
Perhaps they are hidden. [Looks around the stage.] 
Halloo! Are you here? No? Are you here? No? 
Where are they? Well, never mind where they 
are. What about my gold. I will go and see. 
[Goes where the gold was buried. Stands there 
staring, mouth open; stiff, wooden hands extended.] 

Parrot. [Fromoverhead.] Ho, ho! Haw, haw! 

Pinocchio. [Angrily.] Who are you? And 
why do you laugh? 

Parrot. I am laughing because I tickled myself 
with my wing. Ha, ha! Haw, haw! 

Pinocchio. [Digging for his gold.] Certainly 
this is where I put it. [Parrot laughs again.] 
Right here! And I did not bury it deeply. 

52 



“WHAT ABOUT MY GOLD?” 


[Parrot laughs again.] Once for all, you stupid 
Parrot, why do you keep up that foolish laughter? 
What are you laughing at, anyway? 

Parrot. I am laughing at a certain simpleton 
who believes anything that is told him. 

Pinocchio. Do you mean me? 

Parrot. Yes, I mean you. 

Pinocchio. I don’t understand you. 

Parrot. Let me explain, you poor little wooden- 
pate. The Cat and Fox are thieves; they have 
stolen your gold and have run away. 

53 












Pinocchio. Have stolen my gold? Stolen my 
gold? The wicked thieves! I will go to the 
judge. They shall be tried and put into prison. 
[Pinocchio runs off the stage. Curtain in the 
rear opens, revealing judge on a high chair, wear¬ 
ing glasses and a monkey mask. On either side 
stands a policeman wearing a dog mask. Pinoc¬ 
chio enters, running, breathless .] 

Pinocchio. 0, Judge; listen to my tale of woe. 
I had five gold pieces. I met a Fox and Cat who 
told me to plant them so that they might yield 
a hundred-fold. I planted them and went away, 
as they bade me, until the gold should sprout. 
Hardly was my back turned when they dug up my 
gold and ran away with it. 

Monkey. You don’t say so! How many gold 
pieces did you say there were? 

Pinocchio. Five gold pieces. 

Monkey. And you made friends with these thieves? 

Pinocchio. Yes; they completely deceived me. 

Monkey. But you were friendly with them. 
One month in prison for being associated with 
thieves. And you believed what a fox said? 

Pinocchio. 0, yes, Judge, I believed him. He 
promised— 

Monkey. Very well, another month for you in 
54 



“THEY TOOK HIM TO PKISON ” 


prison for being such a fool. Here, policeman, 
take this wooden fool to prison. [ Dogs march up, 
seize him by the shoulders and march him off the 
stage screaming and yelling.~\ 

SCENE XI 

[ The Fairy is sitting at the back of the stage. Pinocchio 
comes running in. Sees Fairy; rushes to her and kneels. ] 

Fairy. Why, Pinocchio, where did you come from? 
I thought you were dead. Where have you been? 

55 







Pinocchio. 0, Fairy, dear good Fairy, listen to 
me. Again I met those wicked thieves and they 
made me bury my gold. Then they stole it and 
ran away. 

Fairy. Do you mean that you were foolish 
enough to fall a second time into their hands? 

Pinocchio. Ye—e—s; but, 0, Fairy, you don’t 
know how honest they seemed. 

Fairy. Was there ever such a stupid boy! But 
what happened next? 

Pinocchio. Well, ! ran to the chief Justice and 
56 





what do you think! Instead of imprisoning the 
thieves for stealing my money he imprisoned me 
for being so stupid as to allow them. 

Fairy. I’m not so sure that he wasn’t a wise 
Judge. At any rate, I trust it has taught you a 
lesson. But tell me what happened next? 

Pinocchio. Well, finally, I was released, and 
was on my way to you, good Fairy, when I 
met a great snake. He was stretched across the 
street and I waited all day for him to allow me to 
pass. At last I thought I would leap across him, 
but what do you think he did? Just as I leaped, 
he humped his back and threw me up into the air. 
I came down into the mud head first. Only my 
legs could be seen kicking in the air. And what 
do you think that serpent did then? He roared 
and roared with laughter until he burst his skin. 

Fairy. I should like to have seen him. It must 
have been funny. 

Pinocchio. Funny! [Ruefully.] I don’t see 
anything very funny about it. 

Fairy. Probably you didn’t at the time; but go 
on. What next? 

Pinocchio. Well, when I got myself out of the 
mud I ran and ran. But I was so hungry that I 
stopped to gather some grapes. 

57 



“I CAME DOWN INTO THE MUD ” 


Fairy. Did you ask permission? 

Pinocchio. 0, Fairy, I was so hungry. 

Fairy. Was that any reason you should steal? 
I hope you were well punished for that. 

Pinocchio. [Meekly.] Yes’m, I was; I stepped 
into a trap which had been set to catch polecats. 
Fairy. Then what happened? 

Pimcchio. Well, the farmer came and found 
me. 

Fairy. It is a wonder he didn’t shoot you. 
Pinocchio. He nearly shook the life out of me, 
58 














“I STEPPED INTO A TEAP ” 

and then threw me into the dog kennel with a dog 
collar around my neck. 

Fairy. 0, 0, 0! How funny! Did he teach 
you to bark? 0, 0, 0! [Laughing.] 

Pinocchio. [Ruefully.] I don’t see any joke 
about that. Indeed, I did something very nice 
for the man; so nice that he thanked me and 
let me go. 

Fairy. You don’t really mean it! 

Pinocchio. Indeed, I do. I caught the chicken 
thieves for him and he was very grateful. 

59 









Fairy. [Laughing.] So he caught you stealing 
and you caught the polecats stealing. Pray did 
the polecats catch anybody? 

Pinocchio. [Pouting.] You are making fun of 
me. 

Fairy. You are enough to make a polecat 
laugh. 0, you silly Pinocchio! But, tell me, are 
you ready now to be good and go to school? Cer¬ 
tainly you must see by this time that you need to 
learn in order to get some sense into your silly 
young head. 

Pinocchio. Yes, dear Fairy. I have made up 
my mind to be good and go to school. 

Fairy. You will have to change very much be¬ 
fore you can be considered a good boy. For ex¬ 
ample, good boys are obedient. 

Pinocchio. And I am never obedient. 

Fairy. Good boys like to learn and to work. 

Pinocchio. And I like to be an idle vagabond. 

Fairy. Good boys tell the truth. 

Pinocchio. And I—I—always tell lies. 

Fairy. Yes, lies with long noses. Then, again, 
good boys like to go to school. 

Pinocchio. 0, dear! [Groans.] And school 
gives me a pain all over. But, dear Fairy, I will 
be good! I will go to school at once. 

60 


Fairy. Do you promise me? Can I trust you? 

Pinocchio. 0, yes, good Fairy, yes. 

Fairy. Very well, then go at once; and after 
that you must choose some trade. Everybody 
should know how to earn his own living. 

Pinocchio. [Sighing.] 0, dear! 

Fairy. [Angrily.] Why do you sigh like that, 
you lazy boy? 

Pinocchio. 0, I hate school, and I hate work. 
Let me do nothing, dear Fairy, but play. Eat, and 
drink and sleep and play. 

Fairy. Lazy, lazy boy! Do you not know that 
laziness always brings suffering in the end? You 
will certainly end in prison; or perhaps you will 
change into a donkey. Indeed, you have no more 
sense than a donkey now. 

Pinocchio. Ah, well, if I must go to school, I 
will. Yes, I will go; I will go at once. 

Fairy. I do not like the tone in which you prom¬ 
ise to go. You should be earnest and cheerful 
about it; you should really wish to go. 

Pinocchio. Perhaps I shall like it better by and 
by. I promise you I will try. 0, Fairy, I am 
going to be the best boy that ever lived. Honest, 
I am. 

Fairy. I am glad to hear you promise. Come; 

61 



“WHAT! ARE YOU GOING TO SCHOOL?” 


I will go with you and show you which way to go. 
[Exit Fairy and Pinocchio .] 

[Curtain falls.] 


SCENE XII 

[Curtain rises upon several boys and Pinocchio , all with 
schoolbooks , on the way to school . ] 

First Boy. What! Are you going to school? 
Pinocchio. Yes; I am going to learn and become 
wise and good. 

All Boys. Haw! haw! Wiseandgood! Haw, haw! 
62 







First Boy. Hear him! Cuck—oo—oo—oo! 
Cuck—oo—oo—oo! 

Second Boy. Going to school! 

Third Boy. Going to be wise and good! 

[All except Pinocchio leave the stage, sneering 
back at Pinocchio.'] 

Pinocchio. What good times those boys have; 
they don’t go to sch’ool. [Scratches head ruefully 
and whines.] 

[Enter new boy. 0, halloo, Candlewick. Are 
you going to school? 

Candlewick. Indeed, I am not. I am waiting 
for the carriage to take me to Boobyland. 

Pinocchio. Where is that? Tell me. 

Candlewick. Boobyland is a land where boys do 
nothing all day long but just play, play, play. 
No school, no work; just play, play, play. 

Pinocchio. 0, how nice! I think that is as it 
should be. But, 0 dear, dear, I have promised to 
go to school and then to learn a trade, else I would 
go with you. 0 dear, how I wish I could go—0 
dear, dear! 

Candlewick. Well, why don’t you come? 

Pinocchio. Because I have promised. 

Candlewick. Nonsense, come along. So did I 
promise to go to school, but what do I care for 
63 


“NO SCHOOL FOB ME '• 


that? What right have people to make us promise 
such stupid things? 

Pinocchio. 0 dear, and think what a lovely 
time you are going to have. 0 poor me, poor me! 
[Turns away.] Well, good-bye, Candlewick. I 
wish I were you. 

Candlewick. Well, I don’t wish I were you— 
going to school and to work. Not I! Boobyland, 
for me! Boobyland where every day is a holiday. 
But, hark! Here comes the coach. Hark! [Both 
64 


boys listen .] Yes, yes; it is the coach! Come on, 
Pinocchio, don’t be a fool! Come along to Booby- 
land. 

Pinocchio. [.Dancing around the stage.] Yes, 
yes, I will go. No school for me! Boobyland! 
boobyland! [Both rush off the stage.] 

Curtain falls . 


SCENE XIII 

[Curtain rises revealing Pinocchio feeling his ears.] 
Pinocchio. Seems to me my ears have grown 
since I have been here in Boobyland. They used 
to be very small; I will look in the glass and see. 
[Looks; bursts into crying.] 0, my ears; my ears! 
[Comes to the front of the stage and shows tall, don¬ 
keylike ears which have been made from paper and 
wired to make them stand erect. As the audience 
is sure to laugh just here, Pinocchio must keep up 
his crying until the audience begins to grow quiet. 
Enter child in nurse’s costume.] 0, nurse, tell me; 
can you take my pulse? Can you look at my 
tongue? Can you tell if I am sick? 

Nurse. 0, yes; let me look at your tongue first. 
[Pinocchio runs out his tongue.] A pretty sick- 
looking tongue, Pinocchio. Now let me feel your 
65 


pulse. Pinocchio extends his wrist. Nurse counts.] 
One, two, three, four, five, six. Yes, Pinocchio, 
you are a sick boy. You have the fever that all 
boys get sooner or later in Boobyland. 

Pinocchio. 0 dear, dear! I never was sick but 
once. I never took medicine but once. And I 
hate medicine. 

Nurse. Don’t worry, Pinocchio. We give no 
medicine here in Boobyland. And besides your 
fever is now past curing. 

Pinocchio. And shall I always have it? Shall I 
always be sick? What kind of a fever have I, 
anyway? 

Nurse. I am sorry to say, Pinocchio, that you 
have the donkey fever. Haven’t you noticed how 
many donkeys there are in Boobyland? All the 
donkeys were once boys like you. 

Pinocchio. [Dancing and yelling with fright.] 
0 nurse, nurse! Do you mean that I am turning 
into a donkey? 0, save me, save me! Nurse 
save me! 

Nurse. I am sorry, Pinocchio; but I can’t save 
you. 

[Exit Nurse. A rapping at the door.] 

Pinocchio. Goodness! Who is that! Let me 
put something over my head to cover my ears. 

66 


[Covers his head and opens door. Enter Candle- 
wick with his head also covered .] 0 , good morn- 
ing, Candlewick. Come in. How do you do this 
morning? 

Candlewick. I am very well, I thank you. 

Pinocchio. But why do you keep your head tied 
up in a towel? 

Candlewick. Because I hurt my knee yesterday 
playing golf. But why do you keep yours covered? 

Pinocchio. Because I hurt my toe playing cro¬ 
quet. 

[Both boys sit down and stare at each other in 
silence .] 

Pinocchio. Tell me, Candlewick, did you ever 
have any trouble with your ears ? 

Candlewick. Well, no-o; but, this morning, I 
confess one of my ears aches a little. 

Pinocchio. One of my ears pains me a little, too. 

Candlewick. Which ear is it ? 

Pinocchio. Well, to tell the truth, both pain me. 

Candlewick. Both my ears are aching also. 

Pinocchio. We have caught some ear disease, I 
fear. 

Candlewick. Do you think we have the same 
fever? 

Pinocchio. [Sadly.] I fear, I fear that we have. 

67 



Candlewick, listen to me. Let me see your 
ears. 

Candlewick. No, no, no! [Holds towel tightly.'] 
Let me see your ears. 

Pinocchio. [Holding towel tightly.] 0, no, no! 
No, no! 

Candlewick. Yours first, then mine. 

Pimcchio. No; let us lift the towels at the same 
time. Ready now. When I say three. One, two— 
th-r-r-r-ee! [Towels both lifted showing that both 
boys have donkey ears. Both boys stare in horror 
68 
















THEY BEGIN TO BOO—HOO—HOO! 


at each other for a few seconds. Then they begin to 
laugh, holding their sides. Pinocchio and Candle- 
wick begin to fall down.] 

Candlewick. Help me, Pinocchio. I can’t keep 
up on my feet. 

Pinocchio. Neither can I, Candlewick. What 
is the matter with us! [They begin to race around 
the stage on all fours. They crawl under a covered 
table or behind some piece of furniture and emerge 
with donkey masks on their faces. They stare at 
each other. 




















Pinocchio. 0, Candlewick! 

Candlewick. 0, Pinocchio! 

[Both begin to boo—hoo—hoof] 

Pinocchio. [Coming on all fours to the front of 
the stage.] Bray! bray! bray! 

Candlewick. [By Pinocchio’s side.] Bray! bray! 
bray! 

Both. Bray! bray! bray! 

[Enter circus manager, whip in hand.] 
Circus Manager. Ho, ho, ho! Two fine don¬ 
keys ! Ho, ho, ho! I’ll train them for the circus. 
Now then! [Snaps whip.] Now then; up and on 
your hind legs! [Snaps whip.] Now then; down 
on four feet! Ho, ho, ho! You make fine don¬ 
keys. Foolish boys always make fine donkeys! 
Let me hear you say your a, b, c’s. [Snaps whip.] 
Both. Bray! bray! bray! 

Circus Manager. Ho, ho, ho! Now let me hear 
you say your three table. [Snaps whip.] 

Both. Bray! bray! bray! 

Circus Manager. Good! Now your four table. 
[Snaps whip.] 

Both. Bray! bray! bray! bray! 

Circus Manager. Good! Now away with you 
to the circus tent. [Snaps whip.] Away with you! 

70 



I’LL TRAIN THEM FOR THE CIRCUS 


Away with you, I say. [Follows the braying don ■ 
keys off the stage. 

Curtain falls. 


The End. 


[If recalled , the two donkeys come in, hand in hand. 
Masks still on and bow and bray three times. ] 

Curtain falls. 

71 












NOTE: In the original story, Pinocchio developed 
through the Fairy’s aid into a good boy; we have chosen, 
however, to close the playlet with the Donkey scene, since 
that is the most dramatic and since this comic ending amuses 
the child. To those who fear that the moral lesson is lost by 
thus curtailing the original story we would say children 
learn quite as much of the ethical world through contrast as 
through fact. As adults, we are apt in story or play writ¬ 
ing to leave too little to the child’s imagination. We fail, 
too, to appreciate the child’s capacity for drawing conclu¬ 
sions.] 


WORDS. 


Scene I 


re quires 
car pen ter 
at tire 
plane 
pre pares 
ex am ines 
care ful ly 
judge 
sharp en 
spir it 

per son at ed 

screen 

don key 

con tin ues 

tick le 

ter ror 

gra cious! 

non sense 

vig or ous ly 

seizes 

strick en 

man ip u lat ed 

e rect 


heart i ly 
po si tion 
Gep pet to 
bush y 
Mas ter 
Cher ry 
ser vants 
con ver sa tion 
stealth i ly 
fa vor 

mar i o nette 
ex hib it ing 
carv ing 
de cid ed 
dif fi cult y 
pro duced 
wel come 
re mark a ble 
sur prise 
slip per y 
heav y 
wrig gles 


73 


Scene II 


per son i fy 

stiff ly 

Pin oc chio 

crit i cal ly 

pre tend ing 

vis i ble 

should ers 

tongue 

clown 

hor ror 

mask 

con tin ues 

re veal ing 

gib ber ing 

sprawl ing 

au di ence 

pro ject ing 

an tics 

a lert 

Scene III 

least 

cri sis 

vag a bond 

wood en 

ig no rant 

crick et 

con ceit ed 

pup pet 

talk a tive 

un grate ful 

hate ful 

pris on 

un com fort a ble 

cow ard ly 

gnaw ing 

ex plained 

clos et 

dis a gree a ble 

cor ner 

ad vice 

par ents 

dis o bey 

de ject ed ly 

fore warn 

moan ing 

ham mer 


74 


Scene IV 


mis er a ble 

rap id ly 

wick ed 

cores 

stu pid 

pears 

aw ful 

pret ty 

de vours 

Scene V 

be lieve 

re mem ber 

com fort 

gen tie man 

em brace 

clothes 

sup pose 

mis chief 

crumbs 

waste ful 

tas seled 

hur ried 

ad mir ing 

dis o bey 


Scene VI 

mus ic 

jack et 

pleas ant 

vend er 

cir cus 

ad mis sion 

ex hi bi tion 

pen nies 

ex cept 

Scene VII 

pre tends 

tick et 

shiv er ing 

un der stand 

fault 

pris on er 


75 


per form 

re main 

pock et 

her ries 

a mused 

shuf fle 

dou ble 

es cape 


Scene VIII 

mag ic 

ex it 

gar den 

journ ey 

inn 

for est 


Scene IX 

ac count 

fig ures 

eas i ly 

mon ey 

o ver take 

strug gling 

straight 

emp ty 

ghost 

fi nal ly 

in crease 

vil lain 

ten fold 

lev el 

twen ty fold 

sur round 

de ceived 

de scend 

cheats 

sup port 

stu pid 

re moves 

re pent 

sym pa thy 

pre serve 

doc tor 

heav en 

gro tesque 

of fered 

be lief 

whis per 

a gree 


76 


sign 
bel low 
a live 
med i cine 
whin ing 
bit ter 
su gar 
black robed 
per sons 
shriek ing 
stub bom 
coax 
vis it ed 
cir cus 
en trance 
fee 

hes i tat ing ly 
be gin ning 
en ter 
wretch 
grat i tude 
in ter rupt 
seized 


se vere ly 
in crease 
hun dred fold 
hur ry ing 
at tacked 
dread ful 
warned 
res i dence 
in no cent 
de ter mined 
sense 

length en ing 
li ar 

mu ci lage 
sur face 
firm ly 
fran tic al ly 
hon est 
watch 
wand 
mag ic 
ig no rant 


Scene X 

oc cas ion mis tak en 

op por tu ni ty ar gu ing 

77 


bur y 
sprouts 
dis cov ers 
bur ied 
ex tend ed 
an gri ly 
par rot 
sim pie ton 

po lice man 
breath less 
yield 

com plete ly 
de ceived 
as so ci a ted 
pris on 
shoul ders 

hon est 
jus tice 
chief 

im pris oned 
fi nal ly 
re leased 
stretched 
ser pent 
rue ful ly 
per mis sion 
ken nel 
col lar 

Scene XI 

pout ing 
con sid ered 
o be di ent 
vag a bond 
groans 

earn 

ang ri ly 
laz i ness 
suf fer ing 
don key 
prom ise 

sev er al 
cuck-oo! 

Scene XII 

Boob y 
peo pie 

sneer ing 

Can die wick 

coach 


78 


Scene XIII 


wired 

con fess 

e rect 

aches 

au di ence 

dis ease 

cos tume 

tight ly 

tongue 

hor ror 

pulse 

sec onds 

fev er 

crawl 

wor ry 

cov ered 

no ticed 

furn i ture 

tow el 

bray! 

golf 

man a ger 

si lence 

cro quet 

trou ble 



79 













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